Voldemort's Granddaughter

Tegan was a rebel, a foster kid, kicked from home to home because of 'accidents' that kept occurring. Then in a shock revelation on a school exchange to Hogwarts, when an innocent prank goes wrong, Tegan is identified as a witch. Surprised, and relieved, Tegan begins to finally fit in. But the question still hangs, why didn't Tegan receive a letter? Was she just 'overlooked'? Or is there a much more severe reason for blocking her from her world?

18. Daphne Greengrass: The End

The crescent moon’s light cascaded through the multi-coloured glass onto the floor of the Astronomy Tower. Daphne felt her heart thumping beneath the Slytherin emblem emblazoned on her jumper. Draco squatted beside her, his sharp features morphed into a brooding expression. She wondered what he was thinking about.

“Do you think Tegan is okay?”

Daphne sighed; slightly irritated that he was pondering his love-life when it was essential to focus on the task ahead.

“Why do you care, Draco?”

He narrowed his eyes at her.

“She’s one of us”

“Define us, Draco”

He slumped against the wall.

“Supporters of the Dark Lord. Slytherins. Pure Bloods.”

“I’m not sure she is, Draco. I don’t think she knows who she supports.”

“Do you ever wonder, Daphne? What it’s like to have the freedom to decide what’s right or wrong?”

She shook her head.

“Muggles made me feel like scum. I want revenge”

He stared at the wall in thought.

“Revenge, the most powerful and disastrous driver of ambition in the world” “Draco Malfoy, aspiring poet”

“Albus Dumbledore, actually” He admitted.

They both fell silent at the mention of the hero’s name. A hero that they were about to destroy.

“Hello”

They both jumped at the sudden greeting that echoed across the room. His silver beard cascaded down from his chin, glistening in the moonlight. His blue eyes twinkled with a knowing that made Daphne feel a lump in her throat. It was Dumbledore.

“Professor, we didn’t see you there”

She rolled my eyes at Draco’s obvious and pointless statement.

“To what do I owe this delightful yet unexpected encounter?”

Daphne glanced at Draco, who was leaning coolly against the wall.

“We wanted to discuss something important”

He smiled.

“Ah, may this have something to do with the gifts I have been receiving lately?”

Draco’s eyes flickered with recognition, confirming my suspicions. There had been attempts before.

“We have to do this, Professor. It’s the only way”

Draco flexed out his wand and took a step forward. Daphne followed suit.

“You’re not a killer, my boy”

“I was born into a family of them, is there really a difference?” “Yes. Quite a difference” “You wouldn’t understand” Daphne spat, suddenly getting angry with the seemingly calm old man. “Muggle-borns come from the people who scorn us, humiliate us. They have been raised on the ideals that discriminate against anything magical. They have the same principles as their parents, and their grandparents before them. They have no place in Hogwarts”

Something flashed across Dumbledore’s eyes.

“Well, I think you should consider a career in the ministry, Ms. Greengrass. You have quite a way with words”

She frowned, not expecting this response.

“But I’m afraid that these are not your own values, Ms. Greengrass, but someone else’s entirely. Tell me, have you ever, out of personal experience, disagreed with a muggle-born?”

She thought about the question carefully and answered honestly.

“Yes”

“Can you describe, in general, the nature of these disagreements?”

“Well, Slytherins and Gryffindors obviously dislike each other. I suppose in that way there is a number of Muggle-borns I disagree with. And there is Hermione Granger, who has more irritating qualities than the number of bushy hairs on her head” “So, the reason for a conflict with these students is either house rivalry or an individual personality, correct?” “Yes, I suppose” “Then you are wrong, Ms. Greengrass. It is not because they are Muggle-born that they trouble you. Hogwarts is a place of learning for every willing witch or wizard. It accepts all, discriminates against none. In one way, it stands for exactly what you seem to speak out for. And that is why I will not let what Voldemort plans take place. In short, I will die before this becomes of the world.”

Daphne and Draco stood, staring at the man in silence. Their whole plan had been shaken. Daphne was something she hadn’t realised she was until then. Unsure.

“You must have expected this” Daphne said quietly, but with more determination in her voice. “What did you think would happen when you told us all who we were, who we should hate and who we should love? There is a life planned out for a Slytherin, serve the Dark Lord, do his duty. That is what was decided for me when you placed that hat upon my head in my first year at Hogwarts, no?”

Draco’s eyes widened at this sudden exclamation. Daphne looked at Dumbledore, searching for an answer to a question she had been pondering her whole life. Finally, he spoke.

“Do you know why we have houses, Ms. Greengrass, Mr. Malfoy?”

Draco responded.

“To group us up with people that are like us”

“Yes. But again I phrase the question, why? The answer, to create a diverse and balanced community. If everyone favoured each other, if everyone thought the same thoughts and felt the same feelings, there would be no room for development, enlightenment of mind. That is why we have four very different houses, with very different personalities. There will always be labels and expectations, whether you are born into them, raised by them or thrown into them. The greatest challenge of a Slytherin is establishing, in among stereotypes and assumed conventions, who you are and what you fight for. In the end I believe, it is not what house or family you have come from. It is who you want to be, and what you do to get there.”

Daphne felt her head begin to spin. Everything she knew, everything she believed, had been altered. Who was she? What did she, not Voldemort, not Bellatrix, not Draco, but Daphne Greengrass, believe in? She had always believed that she was a certain person, a person whose life was already decided for her. But now, what did she want?

“Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw. These are all just names, names that all result in the same challenge. When trouble threatens the good of the Wizarding world, or any world for that matter, there will be one house. We will all join together and fight, as Hogwarts”

And then there was a blast of green light, and Dumbledore fell. Down and down, from a height as great as the legacy he left behind.